3 Things Being Released By Sir Alex Taught Me About Great Leadership

Attention to Detail

That was the first thing that struck me about Sir Alex. This attribute undoubtedly made him stand out as a leader of what was arguably the biggest club in the world at the time I was there.

I was fortunate to be a young professional at Manchester United during a golden period at the club in which they won the treble. Yet within the confines of the club it felt small and tight knit. It had the warmth and closeness that you wouldn't expect to see within a club of that stature. That was ultimately down to him and the example he set that filtered down the organisation.

He had an aura about him when he walked into a room. There is no need to mystify this. For some people it comes more natural than others, but he always made time for others. That doesn't cost anything, just a moment of your time and you don't need an aura to do that. I lost number of the countless times I was sat in the canteen and saw him treat the dinner ladies with the same level of respect, sincerity and care that he would with his latest star signing. They felt truly valued and respected. That reverberated around the club.

Everyone mattered. No matter how small your role, you felt like you were part of the jigsaw that made Manchester United so successful.

I remember walking past him in the corridor when I was a teenager. I naturally would walk past with head down and not wanting to disturb the great man. Here was a guy whose every decision was scrutinized by the press. His every decision could make, or cost the club millions in revenue.

Yet he would stop me in my tracks with his infamous Glaswegian accent

"How is your injury son?"

"How are your mother and father?"

I would have understood if he had just blanked me, or at the most just gave me a quick hi and a nod of the head before heading on to his next encounter, but no he took time for others.

That for me is what sets out a great leader. The feeling that they truly care for others, despite their hierarchical position of importance at the organisation.

The manager at the next club I joined didn't take the time to really speak to me during the 18 months I was there. This is despite the organisation being a mere fraction of the size that United was. Heartfelt words of recognition at the right time can make all the difference.

Taking Personal Responsibility

The photo of me and Sir Alex was took at his office at Old Trafford when I was 14 yrs old and was signing schoolboy forms at the club. It was the first time I'd met him. This photo wasn't taken on some idle Wednesday afternoon in his calendar, it was took on the day of a Premier League game! He would have had all kinds of things running through his mind yet he took personal responsibility to welcome a young boy and his family to the club rather than passing the buck on to one of the youth coaches. Thus would have been understandable and something I wouldn't have had any quibbles about.

After an injury ravaged time at United I got called into Sir Alex's office one morning. I was told I wouldn't be receiving a new contract. The fall was undoubtedly bigger with the words coming out of the great man's mouth instead of one of our youth coaches, which wouldn't have stung and hurt quite so bad.

He had both welcomed me to the club and made sure he was there at the end. He could have easily avoided that difficult and uncomfortable interaction, but he didn't. That is about taking personal responsibility, even in the most difficult moments when shattering the dreams of a young man.

Gratitude

Even when the tears were falling I felt huge amounts of gratitude to Sir Alex for making that time for me me. It has also helped me in my professional life following my time as a footballer as no disappointment will ever compare with being told by a guy who was one of my heroes since I was a kid that I was being released.

I'm grateful for that as it has undoubtedly made me stronger and capable of enduring setbacks in a better way. Often our greatest falls can become the source of our greatest strengths. Even when it doesn't feel like it at the time.

The last time I saw Sir Alex in the flesh was about a decade ago. The South Wales scout who has spotted me and gave me the opportunity at the club had passed away. Sir Alex made the journey to Blackwood from Manchester. He didn't merely sit in the pews, but got up and spoke with heartfelt gratitude at the funeral. In his eulogy he paid tribute to the scouts all over the globe who had helped him along the way. They mattered in equal measures too.

You don't need to read a thousand books to know how to be a great leader. There is a quote from poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou that always sits with me and for me is the key to a leader who wants to be highly respected, and not merely feared within an organisation.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Sir Alex made you feel like you mattered. Although the club was bigger than any one individual you were also not seen as some insignificant pawn within it.

The way you make people feel today may echo in their lives forever. That is something I've tried to remember in my life, and when I'm coaching individuals. I'm thankful for Sir Alex for displaying this attribute to me in action in my early days.